Ghent University

Prof Jan De Maesneer

Prof. Jan De Maeseneer (born 1952) graduated as a medical doctor in 1977 at Ghent University and obtained his Ph.D. in 1989 in family medicine. He has been the Head of Department of Family Medicine and Primary Health Care at Ghent University (Belgium) since 1991. Jan has vast experience in medical education, as he is the Chairman of the Educational Committee of the Undergraduate Medical Training Program. He was involved in the process of change from a traditional discipline-based curriculum towards a more integrated patient- and problem-oriented curriculum. His research mainly focused on social inequalities of health, quality assurance, medical education and health systems. He is Vice-Dean for Strategic Planning at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of Ghent University.

Jan De Maeseneer is the Chairman of the European Forum for Primary Care (www.euprimarycare.org), and the Secretary-General of the Network Towards Unity for Health (http://www.the-networktufh.org).

He is a promoter of the Primafamed network, supporting the development of training in family medicine and primary health care in Africa (www.primafamed.ugent.be). Since 1978, Jan has worked part-time as a family physician in the Community Health Centre "Botermarkt" in Ledeberg (Ghent), a deprived area with a multi-cultural population (over 55 nationalities).v